How to aptly describe the feeling of and starting a long term medical leave from work? A sabbatical if you will… Well, if you’re me, you have to punctuate the moment with a trip. In all honestly, I’d planned this vacation before I even knew I’d be going out, so it was the perfect line…
Category: solo travel
Le Tout Paris at Cheval Blanc
After scouring menus across all of Cheval Blanc’s restaurants, I just couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger on the commitment of a meal…or they were closed…or full…it just didn’t seem to be in the cards for me to visit this fabulous looking new hotel. However, walking to La Samaritaine, I just happened to pass…
Hotel de Crillon- Paris
I’ve always had a love affair with hotels out of my pay grade, perhaps stemming from an article that I read many years ago where the writer stayed one night in all of the major Paris luxury hotels. They challenged each hotel to room service, ranking club sandwiches(!), and tasks for the concierge that weren’t…
Cocorico- Paris
A very sunny afternoon with only an open spot to eat at a tiny cafe table on the sidewalk…people watching in St. Germain, a crisp white, and an order of the casual restaurant’s namesake…it had to be done. A very easy Parisian lunch spot whose address I will keep on file.
Soufflé- Paris
My first evening in Paris, I got a bit bamboozled by a tourist restaurant. They allowed my solo reservation only for 7PM (first red flag) and upon arriving, the restaurant was already full of Americans. Damnit. I should have done an immediate about-face, but there was an image of an onion soup/souffle combo that I…
Hotel Le Bellechasse- Paris
What’s a lady to do when she’s halfway through chemo and doesn’t know how she’s going to feel? Book a last minute trip to Paris is the right answer. Tell no one so it’s only yours. Pre-book art exhibits, but not dinners and just see what happens- an uncertain adventure for an uncertain time, but…
Scala- Lucerne
What the Hotel Deco Montana does have going for it is the amenities. After a very brief abs adorable cable car ride (pumped with smooth jazz), you arrive six stories higher to the hotel itself, where the bar touts good service and live music. After an apero, head to Scala, an elegant, high-ceilinged special occasion…
Hotel Art Deco Montana- Lucerne
Last year I spent a truly phenomenal long weekend at the Hotel Art Deco Montana in Lucerne. Recently, I needed a wee getaway for one and decided to return and hopefully have the same repeat experience. Last round I enjoyed an incredible room and bathroom, huge terrace, nightly turn down service including local treats of…
2022: A Travel Advisory
A few weeks ago, my best friend and I spent a lackluster Saturday night tucked into a corner of a wine bar, discussing what was to come in the new year, who we wanted to meet, the better people we wanted to be, and mostly, where we might travel this year. Approaching our second year…
The Ivy- Edinburgh
There’s probably not a more festive restaurant to be found in Edinburgh…or at least St. Andrew’s Square… than The Ivy. This chain of restos has never been my favorite in London, but it came re-recommended to me recently by a very UK/Christmas loving friend, so I had to give it a go one night I…
Cheval, The Edinburgh Grand
A few years ago, I made The Edinburgh Grand my homebase for a quick work trip. I fell hard for the aesthetic, enormous terrace, and fun restaurant and bars of the property. Fast forward….Covid…and I was back in the UK for work. I was elated to find that The Edinburgh Grand picked up an extra…
Il Pampero- London
One of the key reasons that I chose The Hari Hotel for my birthday and Thanksgiving combo celebration was the glorious photos from their Il Pampero restaurant- their IG is absolutely drool-worthy. Solo travel is great, but sometimes at the end of a day walking ten miles, literally, traversing a vast city like London in…